1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus in which ink droplets are ejected to print, a manufacturing method of an inkjet head, and a checking method of the head.
2. Description of Related Art
An inkjet head which ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium such as a printing paper includes a passage unit having nozzles to eject ink droplets and individual ink passages including pressure chambers connected to the respective nozzles; and a piezoelectric actuator, that is, an actuator unit, for giving ejection energy to ink in each pressure chamber. The piezoelectric actuator changes the volume of the pressure chamber to give pressure in the pressure chamber. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2002-36568 discloses a piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric sheet positioned over a number of pressure chambers; a number of individual electrodes positioned on a surface of the piezoelectric sheet so as to be opposed to the respective pressure chambers; and a common electrode positioned so as to be opposed to the individual electrodes through the piezoelectric sheet. Connection lands, that is, individual lands, electrically connected to the respective individual electrodes are positioned on a surface of the piezoelectric actuator. Each connection land is bonded to one of terminals positioned near one end of a flat cable as a flat flexible substrate. Each terminal is connected, via a wire formed on the flat cable, to a wire on a higher-rank control substrate. The flat cable supplies drive signals to the respective individual electrodes via the terminals. When a drive signal as a pulse train signal is supplied to an individual electrode via the flat cable, an electric field is generated at the portion of the piezoelectric sheet sandwiched by the individual electrode and the common electrode, along the thickness of the sheet. Thus, the thickness of the portion of the piezoelectric sheet increases. Thereby, the corresponding pressure chamber is changed in its volume to give pressure to ink in the pressure chamber.